by Josh Sewell
Zootopia 2
(Rated PG for action/violence and rude humor. Opens in theaters on November 26.)
The premise: In this long-awaited sequel to the Disney animated blockbuster, rookie cops Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) find themselves entangled in a mystery involving viper Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan) and an important journal. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected parts of town, where the bunny and fox’s partnership is tested like never before.
The verdict: Nine years is an eternity in the film industry, but animated flicks are a lot more forgiving. Cartoons don’t age, so Zootopia 2 can pick up shortly after the original and no one questions the characters’ long absence or the story’s mythology. Still, the kids who enjoyed the original are teenagers now, so I’m curious how audiences will respond to characters who are in the same place we left them almost a decade ago.
Screenwriter Jared Bush (who also co-directed with Byron Howard), expands the first film’s world in intriguing ways thanks to a genuinely compelling mystery at the heart of the story. It allows Judy and Nick to explore their new partnership, while also learning to accept and adjust to each other’s flaws. (There are even a few funny therapy-speak jokes about the duo’s conflict.)
While memorable characters from the original film show up again in quick moments (including those voiced by Idris Elba and Jenny Slate), Bush injects freshness into the proceedings with terrific new faces played by Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg and Patrick Warburton. The animation is gorgeous and there are a couple of peppy new songs as well.
Zootopia 2 doesn’t break new ground, but it allows fans of the original to hang out with fun characters again. More importantly, it lifts Disney out of the rough patch it’s been in for a couple of years. This will easily be the studio’s most successful animated flick since the back-to-back hits of Inside Out 2 and Moana 2.
Grade: B
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
(Rated PG-13 for violent content, bloody images, strong language, some crude sexual material and smoking. Opens in select theaters on November 26 and available on Netflix starting December 12.)
The premise: Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns for another case in writer-director Rian Johnson’s third murder mystery. When young priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is sent to assist firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), it’s clear the small church hides dangerous agendas. After a seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, a local police chief (Mila Kunis) must consider everyone in the close-knit flock (played by Glenn Close, Thomas Haden Church, Kerry Washington, Daryl McCormack, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott and Cailee Spaeny) a suspect.
The verdict: Johnson crafted a modern whodunit classic with Knives Out and followed it up with a more outright comedic mystery in Glass Onion. The tone is dramatically different, but it’s still a fun time watching Benoit Blanc figure out which awful person murdered an equally terrible person.
Miraculously (pun slightly intended), he’s done it a third time with Wake Up Dead Man, which once again feels like a completely different movie. It proves there are still plenty of ways to keep these stories fresh and interesting, so I hope Johnson and Craig make a new one every few years.
Even though it’s darker and more brooding, I had a blast with Johnson’s examination of faith and the corruption of organized religion. It rings particularly true in our current moment, when people seem to be more comfortable than ever with grifters in positions of authority.
Granted, it’s probably my deconstructed evangelicalism/religious trauma talking, but seeing a beloved franchise unafraid to openly examine issues I constantly struggle with makes me feel like I’m not going crazy. O’Connor is phenomenal as the priest who poses truly excellent questions about faith, all while battling the anger and dogmatic stubbornness that often drives people away from it.
It’s risky for Johnson to make O’Connor the chief protagonist and shift Craig to a supporting role this time around, but it absolutely pays off. Brolin is also excellent as the fire-and-brimstone leader of a church well on its way to becoming a cult.
Unfortunately, most of the ensemble – particularly Washington, Church, Scott and Spaeny – doesn’t get a lot to do this time around. However, at this point, fans of these movies know to expect a bunch of familiar faces so that everyone is famous enough to be the killer.
I remain frustrated that Netflix doesn’t care about cultivating a big-screen experience for these films (it’s playing briefly in a couple of Atlanta theaters before hitting the site next month). Part of the fun is laughing and gasping at the many reveals with a crowd. Nevertheless, Wake Up Dead Man is a welcome addition to a franchise that still has plenty of life in it.
Grade: A-
Train Dreams
(Rated PG-13 for some violence and sexuality. Now available on Netflix.)
The premise: Based on Denis Johnson’s novella, this beautiful drama centers on Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), whose life unfolds across early 20th century America, an era of unprecedented change. He grows up in the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the nation’s railroad empire. He soon marries Gladys (Felicity Jones) and they build a home together, though his work often takes him far from her and their young daughter.
The verdict: Rarely does watching a film give me the same feeling as reading a great book, but director Clint Bentley (who co-wrote the screenplay with his Sing Sing collaborator Greg Kwedar) pulls it off with this intimate, stunningly gorgeous look at the life of an ordinary man living through extraordinary times.
Edgerton is incredible as a person of few words but lots of complex emotions and trauma. When Robert speaks, it matters – most of the time he expresses himself through facial expressions and body language. The episodic nature of the film allows his character to slowly evolve as he interacts with an assortment of memorable figures like a fellow logger played by William H. Macy (his best performance in ages) and Kerry Condon’s headstrong naturalist.
But it’s Edgerton’s scenes with Jones that give Train Dreams its heart and emotional stakes. In a brief amount of screen time, the actors truly sell the couple’s endearing meet-cute, courtship and eventual marriage.
The film gains even more power through Adolpho Veloso’s staggering cinematography – some of the year’s best – and a haunting score from composer Bryce Dessner (from the band The National). It’s heartbreaking that most people won’t get to see Train Dreams on the big screen, but I strongly urge you to check it out on Netflix.
Grade: A
(Rated PG for action/violence and rude humor. Opens in theaters on November 26.)
The premise: In this long-awaited sequel to the Disney animated blockbuster, rookie cops Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) find themselves entangled in a mystery involving viper Gary De’Snake (Ke Huy Quan) and an important journal. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected parts of town, where the bunny and fox’s partnership is tested like never before.
The verdict: Nine years is an eternity in the film industry, but animated flicks are a lot more forgiving. Cartoons don’t age, so Zootopia 2 can pick up shortly after the original and no one questions the characters’ long absence or the story’s mythology. Still, the kids who enjoyed the original are teenagers now, so I’m curious how audiences will respond to characters who are in the same place we left them almost a decade ago.
Screenwriter Jared Bush (who also co-directed with Byron Howard), expands the first film’s world in intriguing ways thanks to a genuinely compelling mystery at the heart of the story. It allows Judy and Nick to explore their new partnership, while also learning to accept and adjust to each other’s flaws. (There are even a few funny therapy-speak jokes about the duo’s conflict.)
While memorable characters from the original film show up again in quick moments (including those voiced by Idris Elba and Jenny Slate), Bush injects freshness into the proceedings with terrific new faces played by Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg and Patrick Warburton. The animation is gorgeous and there are a couple of peppy new songs as well.
Zootopia 2 doesn’t break new ground, but it allows fans of the original to hang out with fun characters again. More importantly, it lifts Disney out of the rough patch it’s been in for a couple of years. This will easily be the studio’s most successful animated flick since the back-to-back hits of Inside Out 2 and Moana 2.
Grade: B
(Rated PG-13 for violent content, bloody images, strong language, some crude sexual material and smoking. Opens in select theaters on November 26 and available on Netflix starting December 12.)
The premise: Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns for another case in writer-director Rian Johnson’s third murder mystery. When young priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is sent to assist firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), it’s clear the small church hides dangerous agendas. After a seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, a local police chief (Mila Kunis) must consider everyone in the close-knit flock (played by Glenn Close, Thomas Haden Church, Kerry Washington, Daryl McCormack, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott and Cailee Spaeny) a suspect.
The verdict: Johnson crafted a modern whodunit classic with Knives Out and followed it up with a more outright comedic mystery in Glass Onion. The tone is dramatically different, but it’s still a fun time watching Benoit Blanc figure out which awful person murdered an equally terrible person.
Miraculously (pun slightly intended), he’s done it a third time with Wake Up Dead Man, which once again feels like a completely different movie. It proves there are still plenty of ways to keep these stories fresh and interesting, so I hope Johnson and Craig make a new one every few years.
Even though it’s darker and more brooding, I had a blast with Johnson’s examination of faith and the corruption of organized religion. It rings particularly true in our current moment, when people seem to be more comfortable than ever with grifters in positions of authority.
Granted, it’s probably my deconstructed evangelicalism/religious trauma talking, but seeing a beloved franchise unafraid to openly examine issues I constantly struggle with makes me feel like I’m not going crazy. O’Connor is phenomenal as the priest who poses truly excellent questions about faith, all while battling the anger and dogmatic stubbornness that often drives people away from it.
It’s risky for Johnson to make O’Connor the chief protagonist and shift Craig to a supporting role this time around, but it absolutely pays off. Brolin is also excellent as the fire-and-brimstone leader of a church well on its way to becoming a cult.
Unfortunately, most of the ensemble – particularly Washington, Church, Scott and Spaeny – doesn’t get a lot to do this time around. However, at this point, fans of these movies know to expect a bunch of familiar faces so that everyone is famous enough to be the killer.
I remain frustrated that Netflix doesn’t care about cultivating a big-screen experience for these films (it’s playing briefly in a couple of Atlanta theaters before hitting the site next month). Part of the fun is laughing and gasping at the many reveals with a crowd. Nevertheless, Wake Up Dead Man is a welcome addition to a franchise that still has plenty of life in it.
Grade: A-
(Rated PG-13 for some violence and sexuality. Now available on Netflix.)
The premise: Based on Denis Johnson’s novella, this beautiful drama centers on Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), whose life unfolds across early 20th century America, an era of unprecedented change. He grows up in the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the nation’s railroad empire. He soon marries Gladys (Felicity Jones) and they build a home together, though his work often takes him far from her and their young daughter.
The verdict: Rarely does watching a film give me the same feeling as reading a great book, but director Clint Bentley (who co-wrote the screenplay with his Sing Sing collaborator Greg Kwedar) pulls it off with this intimate, stunningly gorgeous look at the life of an ordinary man living through extraordinary times.
Edgerton is incredible as a person of few words but lots of complex emotions and trauma. When Robert speaks, it matters – most of the time he expresses himself through facial expressions and body language. The episodic nature of the film allows his character to slowly evolve as he interacts with an assortment of memorable figures like a fellow logger played by William H. Macy (his best performance in ages) and Kerry Condon’s headstrong naturalist.
But it’s Edgerton’s scenes with Jones that give Train Dreams its heart and emotional stakes. In a brief amount of screen time, the actors truly sell the couple’s endearing meet-cute, courtship and eventual marriage.
The film gains even more power through Adolpho Veloso’s staggering cinematography – some of the year’s best – and a haunting score from composer Bryce Dessner (from the band The National). It’s heartbreaking that most people won’t get to see Train Dreams on the big screen, but I strongly urge you to check it out on Netflix.
Grade: A
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com or on BlueSky @joshsewell.bsky.social
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